UFC Discussing Bringing Back Anthony Johnson

See, winning does cure everything. After firing Anthony Johnson (pictured) in January 2012 following a submission loss to Vitor Belfort – or more importantly, for missing weight for the third time in 11 UFC fights – UFC president Dana White said Thursday they are discussing bringing “Rumble” back to the Octagon.

“Me and [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva were talking about [Anthony Johnson] the other day,” White shared Thursday. “I mean, I like the kid. I always did.”

White provided no further information regarding a possible contract offer.

Johnson has been on a torrid tear since his UFC release, winning all six of his scraps in smaller organizations. The 29-year-old hit the free agent market earlier this month after knocking out Mike Kyle at World Series of Fighting 8.

WSOF is interested in retaining Johnson’s services, but the upstart MMA organization has admitted his price tag might be far too high.

One of the keys to Johnson’s recent success has been the fact he’s accepted that light heavyweight is where he should call home.

White lambasted Johnson for missing weight in his UFC 142 shootout against Belfort. For a non-title middleweight affair, fighters are allowed to weigh a maximum of 186 pounds, which is exactly what Belfort checked in at. Johnson weighed in at an astonishing 197 pounds.

The veteran weighed 177.5 pounds in his September 2007 contest against Rich Clementi and was 176 pounds for his October 2009 scrap with Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Both welterweight bouts were fought at catchweights based off Johnson’s respective weight.

Johnson owns a 16-4 professional record and posted a 7-4 mark under the UFC’s watch.